Carved Into The Sun – The Earth Fell Away

It’s been a while since we had any post-rock music on our pages, so this particular release came just in time for a review on this rainy Monday. It will serve as a perfect soundtrack or, should I say, an overture for a new week, or maybe as healing music when you feel stressed by the work. Carved Into The Sun is not a stranger to these pages. Quite the contrary, I had the luck to write a review for his debut full-length, released about two years ago. For those unfamiliar with this creative outlet, Carved Into The Sun is a Californian post-rock project solely operated by Eric Reifinger. I was so happy to see a familiar face still pushing it through with powerful music. Sometimes persistence is the key to writing, composing, and producing outstanding recordings. This brand-new album by Carved Into The Sun is a perfect example of how things could sound divine if you put a lot of effort into your project.

The Earth Fell Away seems like an appropriate title for this material. It somehow reflects all the things that happened on a global scale in recent years, and there’s a constant feeling lurking around that indicates this might be just the beginning. I don’t know if Reifinger tried to push those themes with this new album, but the track titles carry that vibe. Soundwise, Carved Into The Sun explores the vast universe built upon fundamentals of post-rock, but as usually is the case, you may stumble upon some other sonic ingredients along the way. You’ll unquestionably notice some of the finest properties of post-metal, progressive rock, and ambient. However, don’t be surprised if other elements borrowed from complementary music genres pop up in the mix. Eric Reifinger thoroughly planned everything, so you’ll hear even those details roaming beneath the layers of colossal sounds.

It’s nearly mindblowing how Carved Into The Sun balances between thick, heavy, robust, aggressive, but not overly abrasive orchestrations and much calmer, soothing, cathartic ambient segments. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice you’re dealing with an enormously experienced, knowledgable, professional musician knee-deep into the matter. He specialized in producing hypnotic, ear-appealing, catchy post-rock/post-metal numbers suitable for any mood, moment, or occasion. The Earth Fell Away showcases that from scratch to finish. Each composition comes with longevous intros that gradually evolve into progressive post-rock segments full of arpeggiated chord progressions and colossal riffs. These clever maneuvers will immediately spark your interest and force you to listen to The Earth Fell Away again. Reifinger also incorporated equally complex basslines and enormously dynamic rhythmic sequences decorated with many enhancements, accentuations, fills, and other percussive acrobatics.

The sound engineer did an incredible job by highlighting each instrument separately, so The Earth Fell Away resonates with beautiful melodies and harmonies, hearable from the moment you start listening till the end. This album deserves your attention because Eric Reifinger is a post-rock genius capable of building and shaping engaging compositions with many jaw-dropping moments. The Earth Fell Away is available on all streaming platforms, but you can also pre-order an eye-peeling splatter vinyl. Head to the Carved Into The Sun Bandcamp page for more information about ordering.